Atlanta Blood Transfusion Malpractice Attorney
Blood transfusions are lifesaving medical procedures but mistakes can be made and when they are, patients suffer serious harm. Mistakes most often happen in operating rooms, emergency rooms, and intensive care units due to the high stress environments and the need to make quick decisions. There are many possible injuries that can result from improper blood transfusions, even wrongful death.
If you or someone you love has been hurt due to medical negligence, you can file a claim for financial compensation. Medical malpractice cases are extremely complex, however. Our Atlanta blood transfusion malpractice attorney explains more about these lawsuits below.
Determining Liability for Blood Transfusion Malpractice
Blood transfusions involving the wrong blood type are one of the most common types of errors that happen in malpractice cases. When this occurs, the body’s immune system identifies the wrong blood cells as foreign bodies and attacks them. This can result in wrongful death. Other mistakes that can occur during a blood transfusion are as follows:
- Improper transfusion that results in clotting issues or infections,
- Unnecessary transfusions that cause complications,
- Failing to provide a transfusion in a timely manner,
- Misidentifying a patient, and
- Transfusing diseased or contaminated blood.
Injuries Caused by Improper Blood Transfusions
A blood transfusion error can result in many different injuries. The most common of these include:
- Acute Hemolytic Transfusion Reaction,
- Anaphylactic shock,
- Non-hemolytic fever reaction,
- Immune reactions to transfused blood platelets,
- Infections from disease in transfused blood, and
- Fluid overload.
Blood transfusion injuries can be infectious or non-infectious. Either will cause the patient to suffer serious injuries. While medical facilities should have safety procedures and protocols in place to prevent errors from occurring, these are not always followed properly. For example, medical professionals may fail to test a patient’s blood to ensure it can receive the transfusion and not attack the new blood platelets.
Filing a Lawsuit for a Blood Transfusion Error
If you have been injured by a blood transfusion error, you can file a lawsuit against the medical professional who caused you harm. Not all blood transfusion injuries are preventable, so you must prove that the medical professional did not follow the proper standard of care. Typically, this requires you to obtain an affidavit of an expert that states at least one omission or negligent act occurred. The expert that makes the statement must have experience in the same field as the defendant.
If you are successful with your lawsuit, you can recover damages for any injury or loss you sustained. These can include medical bills, lost income, mental anguish, pain and suffering, loss of household services, and more. If you lost a loved one, you may be able to obtain other damages, depending on your relationship to the patient.
Consult Our Blood Transfusion Malpractice Lawyer in Atlanta Today
At Carroll Law Firm, LLC, our Atlanta blood transfusion malpractice lawyer can provide the sound legal representation you need after being injured by medical negligence. Call us now at 404-816-4555 or contact us online to schedule a complimentary consultation and to learn more about how we can help with your case.
